


Dinner Date

by adrisbee



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-14 09:24:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8007895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adrisbee/pseuds/adrisbee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Chargers are relaxing before heading out on a job later in the evening, and Dalish and Skinner have a table to themselves. A Dalish mage and a dagger-happy city elf alone in a tavern—what could go wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dinner Date

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: dalish x skinner getting into some trouble? C:
> 
>  **MINOR WARNING:** There is a brief mention of assault in this fic. However, nothing is described.

Shems always try for more than they deserve.

Usually they’re smart enough to stay away from Skinner. Her spine is made of rock and iron, and she just _exudes_ “touch me and lose the hand.” Shems sneer at her, spit “dirty knife-ear” at her feet, and back off for fear of disease. But that’s just Skinner. She was one of those elves from an Orlesian alienage that learned to fight back. Dalish, on the other hand, she muses, is rock coated in soft green moss. She’s a novelty to them, with the pretty lines of her vallaslin winding across her features and her unfamiliar mannerisms. The tavern light is softening Dalish’s features, and the warm glow of the candles makes Skinner want to take her hand and pull her away to a private room. Alas, that’s not currently an option. The Chargers are killing some time before a job later in the evening, and Bull’s given them instructions to not get shitfaced or “entangled.” Damn shame.

Dalish is snickering across the table at one of Krem’s jokes when a snippet of the conversation from the next table over makes Skinner’s ears twitch.

“Look Den, the knife-ear over there with the face marks. It’s a _wild_ one.” Skinner scowls, narrowing her eyes and taking a sip of her ale. Dalish hasn’t noticed yet, and Krem’s ears aren’t sensitive enough. Not that it matters. Her time growing up in an Orlesian alienage means that she already knows _exactly_ where this is going. Not even the tales of the savage wild elves killing human children and practicing blood magic are enough to keep drunken shems from accosting an elven woman in a tavern.

“I bet she’s _feral_ ,” another man slurs, his mug clacking against the wooden table. “I bet she _bites_ , and has sharper teeth than the short-haired knife-ear with the fruit stand.” Skinner blinks, and goes very, very still. She has five daggers on her person right now, and the drunken laughter that follows the last remark makes her fingers twitch. It’d be easy to slip one out and knife him when he walks by. He wouldn’t even know what was happening until he was drawing his last breath. Fucking shem is lucky there are too many witnesses.

Her attention snaps back to her own table, however, as Krem puts his hands on the table and stands up. The cheeky Vint even gives her a quick eyebrow waggle before he turns to Dalish. “Well Dalish, seems you and Skinner are doing pretty well tonight. I’ll come by when it’s time for the job.”

Dalish smiles and makes a shooing motion at him as she lifts her mug for another sip of her drink. “Off with you, then!”

Skinner snorts, looking back at Dalish as Krem walks away. Her lover’s chainmail glitters in the candlelight as she looks over to Skinner and gives her a wink.

It’s the sound of the man’s chair scratching against the tavern floor that wipes the smile from Skinner’s lips. Dalish’s easy grin drops into a hesitant expression, her ears twitching in confusion as a broad-shouldered human man with dirty hands and an a scruffy beard walks up to their table.

Skinner’s nose scrunches as the smell of beer and sweaty human hits her nostrils. Forfeiting two jobs’ pay would be _nothing_ if it meant she could gut this lowlife in a back alley the way he deserves. Gut him and toss him in an old Chantry well.

The shem stands in front of Dalish, putting his hand on the table in front of her. “Never seen a knife-ear with a face like yours, before,” he says, brazenly looking her up and down. Skinner’s blood runs cold, and she slips her hand down for easy access to her daggers. “How ‘bout I introduce you to all the humanity you’ve been missing?”

Dalish frowns and shoots Skinner a look. An “ _Elgar’nan_ , not in the bloody tavern!” look. Skinner’s lips curl into a snarl, but she puts her hand back on the table.

“I’m well acquainted with human cities,” Dalish responds, moving to take another drink from her mug. That’s when the shem curses and grabs her wrist.

Skinner’s moving before anyone else can react. She leaps out from her seat and by the time the shem registers what’s happening, she has the tip of her dagger covertly pressed against his back.

“Let go or die, _shem_ ,” she hisses, pushing the dagger against his skin. He takes to long. Skinner snarls, and puts more pressure on the dagger, just enough to barely break the man’s skin. The shem squeals, lets go of Dalish, and jumps to the side, shouting a few curses at the “crazy knife-ear bitch” before gathering his friends and leaving the tavern.

Dalish blinks, looking owlishly at Skinner as the elf sits back down at the table. “They’re going to try and jump us later, right?”

“Probably,” Skinner replies, idly fiddling with her mug. “Give them half an hour.”

Dalish smiles again, reaching across the table to interlock her fingers with Skinner’s. “There’s plenty of time until the job later. How about you and I order another round of drinks, and then warm up for tonight by walking through the alleys?”

Skinner's eyes light up as she catches her lover's meaning, her lips curving into a knowing grin. “You know all the ways to my heart.”

“I do, don’t I?” Dalish laughs, giving Skinner a quick wink before turning in her seat to flag down a waitress.

Skinner gives Dalish’s hand a light squeeze. The night's still young, and they have a lot of excitement planned for it.


End file.
